Two Times Join
by LovetheLORD
Summary: Laura, Angie, Katelyn, Ariel and Ethan are all taken from their time and dimension in 21st century earth to a 24th century earth where aliens exist. Already knowing who the people on the Enterprise are and knowing the future gives them a head start . But what will happen when things take a different turn than they expect? Sixth in the Traveler series. Low T.
1. Time Travel

**Okay I just wanted to point out that you do not have to read the other stories in this series that I collaborate with _Call her Angie she likes that_ to read this story.**

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 **Laura's Pov.**

Four years had gone by. Four years since the incredible battle. Four years since I lost so much I loved. Two years since I went to college and two years since I had seen my best friends. And finally, six years since I got into all this mess. Now I'm stuck here, in college, studying writing and engineering, almost opposite things. Now I'm stuck here, and I'm still depressed. I've been depressed for four years and it hasn't killed me. Yet.

When I was only fourteen years old, (now I'm twenty and a half) a young age to start a dramatic life, my two closest friends (Eowyn and Angie) and I were having a campout sleepover. Before I get into the story let me describe them a bit. Eowyn was fourteen and she had tanish skin and very long brown hair that had a few blonde highlights in it. I was about three inches taller than her, being 5'5, and I had much lighter skin than her, almost white skin, and my hair was in a bob and it was lighter than her's. Angie was about two inches shorter than me and she had tan skin, dark brown eyes and long dark brown hair. She was sixteen years old. While we were sitting around the campfire, we heard a noise and went to it, finding a portal. Thinking it was just an illusion, we went through. Instead of just ending up on the other side we ended up in Middle Earth, a fantasy world created by J. R. R. Tolkien. We joined the Fellowship to help bring The Ring to Mordor. On the way I fell in love with Legolas, and even though I was fourteen I believe he developed some feelings for me as well. Eowyn fell for Merry the Hobbit and he fell for her. After The Ring was destroyed, we stayed in Middle Earth for four more years. Legolas and I never got into a relationship because we both agreed that it would be best that way. Eowyn and Merry did approach a relationship though, and were much more saddened when we had to leave M. E.

Not even a year later did we end up in Narnia. We were thrown into the deep water of the ocean. Luckily we could all swim so we survived until the Dawn Treader took us on board. There we met Caspian, Edmund, Lucy and Eustace. We all soon became close friends. Well, with Eustace it was more or less. Angie ended up falling for Edmund and Edmund seemed to have feelings for her as well.

While still in Narnia, the three of us got into a fight. Eowyn and I were together against Angie, which was extremely rare since Angie and I were even closer than Eowyn and I were. Eowyn and I were sick and tired of being on sea, we were homesick, we were tired of having hardly enough food to survive and we were tired of searching for the dark islands. Even though we knew how the story would end (mostly) we weren't entirely sure, since things could change when new characters and plot twists were added to a story. Later on though, we realized how wrong we had been in our thinking and we all made up and became friends once again.

After Narnia came Ninjago. This time my brother came with us. His name was Ethan and he had dark brown hair and skin a bit darker than mine, and being nearly two years younger than I made him only thirteen. I was fifteen at the time and so was Eowyn. Angie was seventeen. When we were taken to Ninjago we gained Elemental powers. I had the power of light, Ethan had lava, Eowyn had color and Angie had shields, or force-fields. Soon after we arrived, we met the Ninja, (Jay, Cole, Kai and Lloyd). That is, most of the Ninja. We joined the Tournament of Elements with them and helped them find their friend, Zane who was a sentient android. Once Zane was found, we helped them to defeat Chen, a madman who wanted snake people to rule Ninjago. Along the way, I fell for Lloyd and he fell for me. Before we left we kissed and promised to be together if we ever met again.

A couple months later we were taken to California, and the portal dropped us right in Mr. Davenport's living room. We met the Lab Rats, (Adam, Bree, Chase and Leo) and soon became their friends. We discovered we had bionics as well. Other than having bionics things went pretty normal. We went to school with the four and hung out with them. Angie quickly was in love with Chase and I could tell he felt the same. Things went from normal to not-so-normal when Marcus, the android that Adam Bree and Chase's father had created showed up. He had turned from his evil ways and came to warn us of a mad bionic man's plan to attack with bionic soldiers. We began to prepare and I again fell for someone, this time, Marcus. He loved me, but I later found, we weren't truly meant for each other. I broke up with him a year ago. And Angie and Chase is something that I will speak of more during this story.

My friend Katelyn joined us sometime after Marcus did. She was about the same height as Eowyn and she had light hair that was something close to dirty blonde. She had light skin, but still not as light as mine (see the pattern here? My skin borders on albino!) and many freckles. She discovered to that she had bionics and she began to train with us. We defeated Krane and his army together. Angie helped the most by destroying Krane with her plasma blast. After that we were sent back. I stayed in a long distance relationship with Marcus and Angie did so with Chase.

We thought everything would be normal after that, but gosh, we were so wrong. When I was sixteen, I had recently gotten my driver's licence and I was taking my friends (all including my brother) for a drive. Another one of my friends, Ariel, who was the same age as Ethan joined us. Ariel had reddish blonde hair and slightly tan skin and freckles. She was also the same height as Eowyn. While we were in the car, Katelyn appeared there. Immediately we knew something was going on. We checked the news and all the dark lords and madmen and their armies had appeared on Earth. That only meant terrible trouble. Our friends form those other worlds came to join us and we fought together with them in an epic battle. Many lives were lost. Eowyn was killed, so was Kai, Bree, Leo, Legolas, Merry, Pippin (Merry's friend), Peter (Edmund and Lucy's brother), Susan (their sister), Oliver and Skylor (friends of the Lab Rats) and two people who almost became my adoptive siblings. Chase was never found, so it was assumed he was dead.

We were and still are heartbroken from that horrible experience but we made it. Not long afterwards, Angie went to her first year of college. Katelyn went to her first year a year later and I went for mine a year after that. Once I went to college, I nearly lost contact with everyone and now I haven't seen anyone except family for two years. The last time Angie and I talked was a year ago.

That's pretty much my backstory. It's all you really need to know.

I lay on my bed trying to study for my next engineering test. It was 11:34, a little less than a half an hour to midnight. I was having trouble keeping my eyes open and I continuously dozed off on my textbook. I wanted to ace the test, but I didn't have much time since I had a part time job along with classes. Engineering was hard, very hard, but I did good in it and I didn't want to fail this test. It was the last test before the summer and I wanted to do good on it. Maybe I was overworking myself, but it didn't seem to stop me.

Just as I dozed off once again, my phone rang and I was immediately alert. I sat up and reach for it. Checking the number, I looked in surprise to see that it was one I hadn't seen in an entire year. I clicked answer and put it to my ear. "Hello?" My heart was beating just slightly faster since I was nervous about talking to the friend I hadn't talked to in so long. I didn't want it to be awkward.

 _"Oh Laura, thank goodness. It's so late, I was worried you wouldn't pick up,"_ Angie's voice said over the phone. A slight smile appeared on my lips but there was something off about the tone she used. She seemed worried - excited.

"Well, I'm studying for engineering so yeah, I'm awake. Mostly," I replied in a joking manner. Angie chuckled.

 _"Good. Ethan and I need you over here. This question is gonna sound weird, but you gotta trust me. And I understand if you are confused that I suddenly called you but this is urgent. Are you...fully dressed?"_ My eyebrows raised in surprise and confusion over the odd question but, then again, I was used to weird so I answered.

"Well, yes. I am. I never get changed from my day clothes to go to bed," I replied. "Why do you ask...?"

 _"No time. Ethan is gonna teleport you over here. He's still working out the bugs so you may end up a little ways off the coordinates,"_ she said. I nodded my head and braced myself to be materialized into nothingness but instead, I was materialized six feet above the ground. Screaming, I fell to the ground with a thud. I picked myself up and groaned as I rubbed the side of my head. I turned my head around and saw Angie and Ethan. Katelyn and Ariel teleported just as I looked. Their teleportation ended up fine. I began to walk over to them but halted when I saw what they were standing in front of. It was a...a portal.

Not even stopping to greet the girls and my brother, I grabbed Angie by the arm and pulled her over so we could talk privately. "Angelina! I cannot believe you would call me at 11:45, ask me if I am dressed, and teleport me six feet in the air just to get me to go through another portal! I will not go through that. I made that mistake one too many times and I do not plan on doing it again!" I felt many mixed emotions at that moment. The the biggest ones were guilt and fear. I was afraid of what might happen if that thing sucked us into it, and I was guilty because I had helped cause the death of many people.

Angie sighed and ripped her arm out of my grasp. "I knew you would say that. That's how well I know you. I just needed you to be here. Ethan, Katelyn and Ariel have all agreed to go. They all agreed that each time one of these has appeared it's because we're needed somewhere," she told me. I nodded.

"Well, it didn't exactly call me. It called you. I cannot, I just cannot go through there!" I exclaimed. I felt my eyes tear up. "Going through those portals has caused me nothing but pain. Nothing at all. All the relationships I had because of them were destroyed. I lost some of my best friends. I almost lost my family. We all grew apart because of it. Marcus and I left each other. I'm not going through there. I can't." I looked down to conceal the tears that were nearly beginning to fall. Even as an adult I was still pretty emotional at times, especially when those times involved memories of the past.

"I just wanted to have one more adventure with my friend, before she grew up too much to want too. I guess this portal was too late." Angie turned from me and began to walk away. Part of me wanted to walk in the opposite direction. That was the cold, unforgiving, depressed side of me. There was another side of me, warmer, brighter and ready for adventure. Suddenly, that side seemed to break through the ice of the other one and I called after her.

"Angie... I'll...I'll go," I said. Angie turned to me and she had...a smirk! She had a sly, devilish smirk on her face. She wanted to make me feel bad, she wanted to get me to come because she knew I would eventually give in. Even as an adult, she could still be such a little kid.

"I knew you would change you mind. Come on." She gestured for me to follow and I went with her. "I'm sorry for all the pain this has caused you..." she said. I nodded and sighed. "It's alright. Really." We all gathered together and joined hands. Just as I did back when I was fourteen, I counted down to when we would jump. When we did, I saw this portal was different than the others. It was darker, I couldn't see space. Instead, I saw a big clock in front of us, spinning forward and I saw images of past events. This was a time portal.

We hit the ground, each of us landing on our rearends. We quickly stood up and looked around the area. I almost immediately knew where we were. If I had been younger, I might have screamed, I might have even cried or laughed, but I kept my composure and turned to the other four. "My friends, I am delighted to inform you that we are on one of the decks on the Starship, Enterprise." Everyone except Angie gasped.

"I figured as much. I bet you're excited to see Commander Data, aren't you?" she asked with a teasing tone. I cleared my throat as me cheeks turned slightly red. When I was a young teen, I had an enormous crush on Data. Now being here, on the starship that _he_ was on, was beginning to bring it back to me.

"You know I let go of that crush a long time ago, Angie," I replied stiffly. The blush didn't fade away and I began to think that maybe that statement wasn't true.

We began walking down the halls of the Enterprise and when we reached Ten Forward, I was glad I knew where we were. This was the one place on the Enterprise that everyone came to, so there would obviously be many people coming in and out. We did not want any people seeing us yet so this was the last place we wanted to be. I turned to my friends and began to whisper, "We need to be very, very quiet. This is Ten Forward, where everyone comes for break." I turned quickly but since I had been talking before, I hadn't heard the doors open and I bumped right into a guy's chest. I stumbled backwards and nearly fell but Angie held me up. I shook my head as I regained balance and I looked directly ahead. My mouth dropped open and after about five seconds I shut it. I had bumped right into...Data.

"I uh...I am sorry, I was uh just coming through here with um, my friends. We're uh, going now," I stuttered. _'Can you even speak normal in front of an officer? You're twenty for goodness' sake!'_ I turned to them to quickly follow me but before we were even two feet away Data stopped us.

"I do not believe you are members on the Enterprise," he said. I quickly thought of an excuse. I was glad my brain was working.

"We've um, just been reported on board uh, last week," I replied. I smiled smugly but I should've known Data was smarter than that.

"There have been any new recruits for more than three weeks," he informed me. I felt my confidence drain as I tried to think up another excuse but I realized there was no outsmarting an android, especially if that android was Lieutenant Commander Data, creation of Dr. Soong. He looked at us for a few seconds and then pressed his comm badge. "Data to Captain Picard." _"Picard here."_ "I believe that there are intruders onboard. They appear to be human." _"Send security."_ "They are not fighting me. I believe I can escort them to you without protest." _"I would rather you have security with you."_ "Of course. Data out." After that Data contacted security. I leaned over to Angie.

"I think we are officially screwed."


	2. Strange Behavior

**The names of ocs in this story are the names of real people in real life so their last names are abbreviated for privacy reasons. However, none of us are anywhere near twenty. I am thirteen, and yes, the character Laura is based off of me yet is less social, and more serious. And older.**

* * *

 **Angie's Pov.**

Soon after Data called the Captain, security came and took us into custody. We didn't fight against them as they took hold of our arms and 'escorted' us to what Laura told me was the Captain's ready room. We were all made to stand in front of the Captain. We felt slightly nervous, being illegally on a starship and in front of it's Captain. I kept my calm, even though I wanted to leave right then and there. I almost wanted to scream for the Captain to let us go, but I didn't.

"I am Captain Jon-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. What business do you have coming aboard my ship?" Captain Picard asked. I looked at Laura and she nodded for me to talk first. When we were younger we would argue over who would talk to new people first. We were now used to talking to new people, but this was a different situation. We were over three hundred years into the future in trouble for being illegally aboard the Enterprise. _'You're an adult, Angelina,'_ I thought, referring to myself in third person. _'Speak now.'_ My conscience obviously knew what it was saying, even though I had never been in an exact situation like this. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.

"Sir, allow me to explain everything," I requested in a slightly stiff manner. The Captain replied with 'Granted.' I took a deep breath and began. I decided that I would give our names and our ages. "I am Angelina Nicole A. and I am twenty-two years old. This is Katelyn Amoret S. and she is twenty-one years old." I decided I would go youngest to oldest. "This is Laura Elizabeth K. and she's twenty. That's her brother, Ethan Isaiah K. and he is eighteen. That's Ariel Fallon M. and she's also eighteen." I don't know why I began to explanation of how we got here with introducing ourselves but I just went with it. "None of what I am about to say sounds believable, and if I weren't one of the ones who went through it I wouldn't believe it either," I began. The Captain nodded his head slowly. "We've all had experiences beyond what anyone would even call abnormal. We've all been through portals to other worlds. Everyone except for Ariel, that is. But she joined us in a battle in 2017. We went through another portal, causing us to arrive here. We ended up here on accident and we have no intention of doing anything wrong. You may take us to court for this, but I swear that if the judge knows what they are doing we will neither be found guilty of lying, or of any other wrong doing. I promise you, Captain, this is all true." I felt slightly weak after that since I used a lot of nerve to do it, but I also felt proud.

"It is also very unlikely, Angelina," he responded. My hope fell suddenly. "However, there is one more thing we will need to do to determined the truth. Counselor Troi is half betazoid, a humanoid that can read minds. Since she is only half, she will only be able to read your emotions and she will be able to tell if you are lying or, if you really are telling the truth, if you are," he said. I was slightly uncomfortable with that thought, and it seemed very weird, but I had definitely experienced weird. My writing professor was one of a kind...

Soon after that Counselor Troi (who looked creepily like my older sister) joined us. She seemed very kind and listened quietly until I was finished. Then she turned to the Captain. "This may surprise you, Captain, and it surprises me as well but they are not lying. They are very nervous and uneasy but that is normal for someone who has had an experience that borders on scary." I smiled slightly. I was relieved that her telepathic abilities were working well. Otherwise, she may have thought we were lying.

Captain Picard stood up and so did the Counselor. "Well. It would seem that this case is closed and you are in fact telling the truth. It is very...shocking, almost to an extent where it's startling. But I promise you, we will be nothing less than kind to you here. We welcome you to the Enterprise," he said with a slight smile. I smiled with relief and looked at the others who also smiled.

"Thank you, Captain. We really appreciate it," I said in a friendly tone. Maybe this hadn't turned out as bad as I thought.

 ** _/Star Trek/_**

We were each assigned to our own quarters, though some of us had adjoined ones. My quarters were adjoined with Katelyn's while Laura and Ariel who were down the hall also had adjoined rooms. Ethan had a room all by himself, slightly farther away from us than Laura and Ariel. We were also given comm badges and we were directed on how to use them. Once you understood them, they worked like a charm. Katelyn and I messed around with them a bit since we were so close together. They were like phones, except better. They also showed us how to use the replicators, and there was no surprise, at least where we were concerned when Laura knew exactly how to use them.

Staying in the quarters on the Enterprise was like being in a hotel room. They were very comfortable, and decoration wonderfully. Nothing was too cluttered and everything was clean and smelled fresh. Right next to my bed was a lamp stand except without a lamp. Rather, it had a beautiful potted flower plant sitting on it. There were a few other plants scattered about the room and on the walls were paintings of space. The bed was very soft and comfortable. And now that we're at the point, the second I laid down on it I was asleep, since it was already 2:56am.

When I woke up my door was chiming. I sat up and slid off of the bed. "Computer, what is the time?" I asked, looking up into thin air. _'It is currently 0800 hours,'_ a British type voice replied. I nodded. I walked to the door. "Come." The doors opened and Katelyn, Laura, Ethan, and Ariel were there waiting for me. "Morning guys. What's up?" I asked.

"Laura suggested we walk around the Enterprise for a bit. Maybe stop at Ten Forward for breakfast," Ariel told me. I nodded slightly and stepped out of my room, letting the doors close.

"Alright. I'm up for that," I replied. After a few seconds I said, "Wait, don't tell me, security has to escort us even though we weren't lying?" I asked. Katelyn nodded.

"Yeah. Chief of security. They said it was 'for our safety,'" Katelyn said. The sarcasm in her voice told me that they were still being cautious of our presence. That I didn't entirely agree with but it was probably for the best. "He'll be coming when you're with us," she added. I nodded and looked down at my clothes. They were the same ones from yesterday - three hundred years ago that is, but they were still mostly clean and only partially wrinkled. I didn't have anything else anyway.

"Alright," I replied. "I'll all ready." We talked for about five minutes, mostly discussing what had been going on with us for the past few years. We seemed pretty open with each other, but for the first time since when I first knew her, I could tell she was hiding something from us. I wasn't entirely comfortable with, considering we used to share everything with each other. I guess I should put extra emphasis on 'used to.'

When the security officer, Worf, arrived, we all stopped talking. There was something about him that made us feel uncomfortable, something more than just the fact that he was an alien. He seemed too serious and uptight and that made me feel strange. I was used to being able to speak freely without people judging me for what I was saying but this guy seemed to be the serious judgy type. I suppose I should be thinking that, considering I didn't really know him, but the look on his face and the way he walked told me I was probably right.

"Sir, could you perhaps, bring us to Ten Forward?" Laura suddenly asked in a quiet tone as we began to near a turbo lift. She was basically the only person who could fully understand how things worked around here so I felt kind of bad in a way. The kind where I feel like we're all putting pressure on her. Of course, I know that if we actually were, it wasn't intentional. She seemed slightly introverted, which to me was strange. I was an extrovert, and she also at least once was, but her demeanor seemed to have changed and it was almost as if she wasn't the same person.

He nodded slightly as we stepped onto the 'lift. "Yes you may. I will take you there," he answered. "Deck ten." Laura smiled slightly as the turbolift began to move. It was a weird feeling, like being on an elevator but different. People in Starfleet grow up with this so it was normal to them but it caused my stomach to feel all strange and almost sick, as if I had just gone on a rollercoaster, but less exhilarating. When we stepped out, I stumbled against the wall. I put my hand over my eyes, feeling incredibly stupid and worst of all embarrassed, but there was really nothing I could do. I was grateful to my friends for not laughing in my expense.

We walked a little ways and then stopped at the same place Laura had bumped into Data. The doors opened automatically as we walked inside. The place looked something like a restaurant but less professional and more comfortable but it was crowded and I felt as though we were...out of our element. "I will stay here but I will allow you to go to a table by yourselves," he said. We nodded our heads and replied with a simply thank you and then headed off to find a table to sit at. We felt slight out of place but we managed to find a secluded table. It was near the window, and I found myself staring into the beautiful vastness of space.

"This is truly fascinating," I spoke in a quiet voice. "I can't believe we develop the technology to get all the way out here! To live here, in fact! It's just so..." I didn't have words to express my amazement.

"I agree," Ariel replied. "It's amazing!" She had a bright smile on her face. She was pretty nerdy most of the time and this must've been an amazing experience for her, maybe more than I had realized. Her and Katelyn both seemed happy, but Laura seemed to be lost in thought. I certainly wasn't aware of how much she had seemed to mature since I had last seen her. All things considering, that was two years ago, but it was strange. She was so mature, so distant, so...not Laura. I wondered if there was something else on her mind.

"Laura, is everything alright?" I questioned, concern lacing my voice.

"Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing," Katelyn said. To Laura, Katelyn was also one of her best friends and they kept slightly more contact than her and I had, but that was kinda my fault. I was busy.

Laura opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when a lady wearing a very odd hat walked up to us. I thought I had caught a glance of her working at the bar. She was most likely the bar tender. "Hello ladies, what can I get for you?" she asked. There was something about her that suddenly made me feel more comfortable. It was weird, in a way.

We all ordered some type of coffee, except Katelyn who ordered chai tea. "It'll be here in a few minutes," she said. Before turning she looked at us curiously. "You're the time travelers aren't you?" she asked. I tilted my head slightly.

"Yeah, how did you recognize us when you haven't ever seen us?" Ariel asked. She chuckled slightly.

"Well for one, I've never seen you before and I know pretty much everybody on the ship," she answered. "Plus, people talk." I smiled slightly. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Guinan." We smiled and introduced ourselves to her. After that she went to go get out drinks. When she arrived with them, we thanked her and then started talking.

"So, we didn't get much time to talk before Lieutenant Worf came," I said while I sipped my coffee. "I figured we should get back into the swing of things, with our friendship that is," I suggested. They nodded their heads in reply.

"That sounds good to me," Laura replied. "How's everyone been doing lately?" she asked. Suddenly the old light in her eyes returned and I wondered if she was just that way because she was...lonely.

"I've been doing good. Tired, busy, but good," I told her. I was including everyone, but technically, it was a response to her question. "I have finals, and then I'm out of college and I can actually start an actual carrier," I said.

"That's great!" Katelyn exclaimed. "I still have another year to go, and honestly, I'm not looking forward to it. I might not complete it. I kind of want to get started earlier. I'm planning on becoming a missionary to Japan, just like my parents were," she said. I smiled slightly.

"That sounds like a plan. I just wanted to be well educated before I did anything big. I want to be able to get a book published, and I wanted to have my writing improved. I have no plans on dropping out early," I said. Laura's face suddenly went back to what it had been before, and she was serious once again. I wondered if I had said something to offend her but I tried to just shrug it off.

"I'm preparing for my first year of college," Ariel put in. "I finished highschool already, so I'm probably gonna be starting when I'm nineteen," she said. We nodded.

"Just be prepared for a lot of work," I warned her. She nodded. "What college are you going to?" I decided to ask. She shrugged slightly.

"I'm unsure as of now, but I have two places that I'm going to be looking at.. My parents and I were going to look at both of the campuses but...we're here now," she answered. I nodded slightly. It was true. I wasn't sure how time implied here but I really hoped that we didn't miss anything. People might think I was kidnapped or something, just like they had when I was taken to California years ago.

After about an hour of talking, we were finally finished with our drinks. Katelyn, Ariel and I decided to go around some more but Laura said that she was gonna go back to her room, which caused us all to be confused. She at one point would have loved to hang out with us. Maybe she was just so not used to our company that she needed a break. That's what I had hoped it was anyway. When we got up from our table we went over and thanked Guinan for everything and then we went out. It was quiet, until Katelyn requested that Worf give us a minute, which he gladly did.

"We need to talk to you-know-who," Katelyn whispered. Ariel and I nodded in agreement.

"Totally. Something odd is up. Maybe it's the excitement of being on the Enterprise, I don't know. But she isn't her normal self at all," I replied. I wanted to believe it was just her being on the Enterprise, but sadly, I couldn't.


	3. Dreams

**No Pov.**

"We should let her rest before we talk to her about anything," Katelyn suggested as they walked around the Enterprise halls. They had asked Worf to give them a little space and he gladly did so. Katelyn didn't think he entirely liked escorting a bunch of young women around a Starship.

Angie nodded her head. "Yes, that seems good. I hope she's just stressed over this whole situation. She did seem...upset over the thought of another portal, another travel to a different world, or time in this case. In a way, I pushed her to come. It wasn't right of me. I do, however, believe that she is glad to be here after all, though I think some things are a bit different than she expected. I was also thinking that perhaps the reason she is...uneasy, is an entirely different reason than what we may be leaning towards. Maybe, maybe it's not even related to this adventure..." Angie let out a sigh and shook her head. "I'm so used to having her vent her problems to me... It's just...strange," she finished with a shrug. "Maybe it's just a way we are perceiving things. Perhaps she's just, grown up."

After that they walked awhile in silence, until Ariel had a question. Turning to Worf, she asked, "What exactly are you going to do about us? You have no way to send us back in time, maybe forwards in time would be possible but how are you going to send us _backwards_? What exactly would happen if we were to stay here forever? Wouldn't that change past events?" she asked.

"I do not believe I am entirely able to answer that. But we will find a way to send you back to your time," came his reply. Ariel gave one nod, showing she wasn't entirely pleased with the answer but it was good enough for the moment. After that, they continued to walk in silence.

 ** _/Star Trek/_**

 _Laura was suddenly sixteen, standing in the middle of a fiery building. The flames surrounded her, but she wasn't burnt. "Help us! Laura help, please! The fire is getting closer!" The voice of Laura's mother echoed all around her, but she couldn't penetrate the flames. She looked around frantically, trying to find something to put out the flames, but everything was already burnt._

 _"I can't! There is nothing here! I can't get through the fire!" She tried to step forward but was unable to move. The cries of her family filled her head as the fire went up higher and higher until she could see nothing but red._

 _As if she had just woke from a dream, she was suddenly somewhere else. Relief filled her, but there was still this ominous fear of nightmarish type. She felt like it was real, but there was something about it that wasn't right. She was there, standing in the middle of battle, her hands glowing with light, her eyes switching from blue to bright yellow. She was surrounded by foul creatures, some which had been there, some which she had never seen before. There were these strange, white skinned cyborgs, but they all had the same face, one she knew she had seen before. They suddenly all looked at her and she felt panic. They moved closer and closed her in._

 _"Come to finish the job have we now?" they all said in a voice too familiar. She shook and tried to get away but there were so many of them. "Have you come now, to finish my death?" Fear filled her heart. There was no escape from these things._

 _"What? I've never seen you before I couldn't have tried to kill you!" she exclaimed in a half whisper._

 _"You have seen me, in a different form. Why do you deny that you tried to kill me? You tried to kill everyone! You tried to kill them all! Because you didn't want to kill yourself..." Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head._

 _"No. I didn't try! I didn't mean too!"_

 _"You did. I meant to do it. Laura, because of you, I am now this!" the cyborg creature gestured to itself and she shook her head._

 _"No. Stop. Get away from me!" They moved closer. "Stop!"_

Laura screamed as she abruptly sat up. She turned her head around the room, looking for the cyborgs that had invaded her dreams. They - it, was no where and the room was empty. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as a sense of relief washed over her as she pushed the covers off of herself and stepped off the bed. She was shaking slightly, the imprint of the nightmare still vibrant on her mind. Having some kind of tea usually helped her as long as it didn't have caffeine. She walked over to the replicator and got herself a mug of chamomile tea and sat down with it. It calmed her but luckily didn't cause her to be drowsy.

"Computer, what time is it?" she asked once she had finished her tea. _"It is currently 12:27 hours,"_ came its reply. She nodded slightly and set her cup down. She began to quietly pace around her room. When she was back on earth, she had nightmares of similar type after the battle of four worlds. They had multiplied when she went into depression at the age of seventeen. She secretly had been in counseling since then but no one had to ability to understand what she was feeling as they had no ability to help her it seemed. She wondered, however, if speaking to someone who could actually read your emotions might help. Talking to Counselor Troi might have been a good approach, even though it was on such short notice. It just seemed that this...was important.

She walked out of her room and to the turbolift. She neglected to call security to notify them of where she was going but that wasn't that big of a deal to her. She knew she'd probably be talked to later on. "Deck eight," she called. Having watched Star Trek The Next Generation in her world, she knew how things went and where things were with no need to ask.

When the lift landed she walked down the hall a little ways until she found Counselor Troi's quarters. She hesitated a moment and then pressed the door chime. She wasn't sure whether she should've contacted her and had the talk in her office but she hadn't thought of it until that moment. She was relieved when the Counselor called for her to come in and the doors opened. Laura closed her eyes slightly, suddenly feeling a wave of self consciousness as she stepped forward. Deanna was standing when she entered and she smiled slightly when she saw her. "You were with the time travelers weren't you? Your name was...Angelina? No, Laura." Laura smiled slightly and nodded her head.

"Yes, Laura. Counselor Troi, correct?" She knew she was correct, but they didn't know how much she knew about them. Deanna nodded with a smile. Laura began to step forward but then stopped. "May I come in?" she asked.

"Yes, of course," Deanna replied. Laura gave a slight nod of thanks and she stepped inside. Deanna gestured to a chair. "Please, sit down." The young woman took the offer and in a manner that almost seemed cautious, sat down. Deanna could feel strong emotions coming from her; fear, insecurity, guilt, anger, frustration, all very negative emotions. Well, she wouldn't call any specific emotion negative, but these were certainly having a very negative effect on Laura. "So, what is it you need to talk about?" she decided to begin with. Laura gave a slight shrug and averted her eyes.

"Well it's... I don't know how to explain it all entirely... I've been to other counselors before it's just I never was really...comfortable... I'm sorry Counselor, I don't entirely know why I came... I don't like talking to counselors, especially if I don't really know them. No offense." Deanna smiled slightly and shook her head.

"None taken. It's perfectly normal. If you want we can have a little talk before the official one, until you're ready that is. I don't have to be on duty until 15:00 hours," she said. Laura nodded. "Now, if you want to know me better, start by calling me Deanna." She nodded with a slight smile. Laura could tell that she was going to get along with her very well. When she watched the show, she liked the character herself. Plus she got along with people who she felt emotionally connected with. Literally, in this case.

The two talked for a long while about past events, past and current relationships, all the things they had in common. Laura knew that they already had a lot in common, as in an enormous love for chocolate things. Laura basically loved any type of chocolate and so did Deanna. She put it this way 'Anyone who likes chocolate is a friend of mine,' and Laura instantly agreed. After that, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were friends.

"I think I'm ready now," Laura said after a brief pause in conversation. Deanna's face turned more serious and she gave a nod. "Alright." Laura breathed in slowly and then exhaled. "Years ago, only four to me, around three hundred years to you, I was in a battle with many of my friends, and my brother. Let's just say, I considered them all family and I lost many of them." Her voice turned sad. "You've heard a lot about that already, but not everything. Anyway, the only way to destroy our enemy was to have us all come together. There were many of us who had superpowers - bionics and elemental powers," she made light glow from her hands and Deanna's eyes widened in shock but she said nothing. "Yes, I know. I got that from traveling to another world. But that's something for another time." She cleared her throat. "We were the world only hope at that point. We had to use everything we had to destroy the leaders, The Overlord and Sauron." Laura grimaced slightly as she spoke of it. Deanna now felt fear, sadness and...guilt. The guilt confused her. "Many people died. It was...tragic. It...caused me to have depression and nightmares. Violent nightmares triggered by actual scenes of the battle, my fears, anything." Deanna waited a minute and once she knew she was finished talking, she spoke.

"There's more. There's something you're leaving out." She suddenly got another emotional wave. Fear and guilt - distress.

Laura nodded. She swallowed forcefully and her eyes shined as they began to glaze over with water. "There is. There is more." Her voice shook slightly with every word. "In that last battle, the one where we all had to use our powers to their greatest extent, I didn't. I caused their deaths. I caused their deaths!" Tears streamed down her face as she said this. Deanna reached out and put a hand on her arm.

"What happened?" she asked calmly. Laura took a moment before replying.

"I didn't use everything I had! I didn't use all my strength! I made them use more than they needed too! I was afraid and I killed them! I'm a murderer! I was afraid, and I killed them!" After that last sentence she burst into tears. Instead of being twenty, she was sixteen again, crying to a counselor, who like a mother, moved closer and held her in a comforting embrace.

 ** _/Star Trek Time Skip 23:18/_**

 _Katelyn ran through the halls of the Enterprise as another explosion shook the deck. The red fire drew closer to her and she felt trapped. It burned her back and sides and yet in some way she felt cold. Her running stopped abruptly when a man stepped out of the flames in front of her. His skin was pale, his eyes were yellow. He looked like Data but there was something evil in his eyes and he wasn't wearing a Star Fleet uniform._

 _"Hello, little one. Going somewhere?" His voice made her shudder. It sounded like Data but so much not like him. His lips were curved upwards into a smirk and his face held a twisted nature behind it._

 _"Excuse me? I may be short but I am certainly not in any way, little," she countered. He laughed slightly while shaking his head. He stepped forward and reached out. Katelyn tried to move back but the fire licked at her clothes and she winced. He grabbed her by her neck and lifted her up. His strength went unmatched and she couldn't pry his hands off of her._

 _"I would keep quiet if I were you... Wouldn't want anyone to stop you from joining my army now, would we?" Suddenly out of the fire stepped cyborgs, all in grey and black and all white skinned. The man's grip on her throat tightened and she began to choke. She mustered up all the breath she had left and in her panic, she screamed._

"Let go of me!" Katelyn screamed. She had her eyes closed and she punched the air in front of her. She opened one eye and realized she was in her room. There was no fire and there were no cyborgs. The blankets were tangled around her in a way that was almost strangling. She was glad that she woke up. She began to unwrap herself from the tangled blankets and then she slipped off her bed. She grabbed a robe - one that had been replicated for her, and walked over to the door that joined her and Angie's quarters. She pressed the chime and waited for a reply. When none came, she pressed it again. There was the sound of hurried movement and then Angie half yelled 'Come!' Katelyn stepped forward and the doors slid open.

Angie was in a nightgown and had obviously been sleeping. Katelyn knew it was a silly thing to wake her up for having a nightmare but this one was different than any nightmare she had ever had. "Nightmare," she said before Angie could ask why she was up. Angie attempted to raise one eyebrow but failed (she never mastered the 'slybrow'). "I know, it sounds...odd. But you must hear this one. It's different than any nightmare I've ever had. Almost vision like." Angie agreed and the two sat down on her bed. Katelyn began to tell the dream. Luckily for the sake of the story being told, the imprint of the dream was still very vibrant. She managed to tell the whole dream in accurate description and there was no addition or loss of anything.

"That is oddly specific and yet, in a way not. I wonder what was going on?" Angie said mostly to herself. Katelyn shrugged slightly. "It was disturbing as well. I know who the man was. And the cyborgs," she said suddenly.

"Lore," Katelyn said. "And the Borg. But why? Why did I dream of the Borg _and_ Lore when nothing has happened that has anything to do with them? I haven't even thought of them, much less watched any Star Trek with them in it recently. In fact, I haven't watched it in years," she said. Angie nodded. She opened her mouth to say something but a yawn came out instead.

"Sorry, Katelyn. It's late. Almost midnight now. Not the time to talk about things that could have an impact on our future," she said. "Talk in the morning? I think we should let the others know about this too," she said. Katelyn nodded and stood up.

"Alright. See you in the morning."

"And Katelyn? Just so you know, you aren't the only person out of us who's had dreams about the future, or vision type dreams," Angie said. Katelyn turned. "I did, when I was sixteen. It turned out to be important too. Thanks for having the guts to tell me about a nightmare." A smile formed on her face and Katelyn smiled back.

"Thanks Ang. Goodnight." She gave a wave of her hand and Angie did as well. "G'night, Katelyn." Katelyn left the room and the doors closed behind her. The rest of that night was uneventful for the two women. Katelyn had no more nightmares but she still felt restless and uneasy. At around 02:00 hours however, Ariel had a dream that was mysterious rather than disturbing...

 _"You're all here for a reason... Everywhere you've gone, everything you've seen, all that you've been through, it's all for a bigger purpose," Guinan said. Ariel was standing in Ten Forward, looking out into space. The place was empty except for herself and Guinan, who was standing by her side. Ariel was listening to what Guinan said but her presence was almost just a voice._

 _"Why do we travel?" Ariel asked as she turned to face Guinan. Her voice seemed slow and echoey to her ears. "Why is your world a TV show in our dimension? How is everything so connected, how is everything so perfect?"_

 _"Those things will one day be answered, Ariel. One day soon, you will wake up. Wake up...wake up...wake up..."_

"Wake up! Ariel, get ready, we have a meeting!" Katelyn's voice aroused Ariel from her dream filled slumber. For a moment she felt delirious but was soon aware. Her dream still vivid in her mind, she came to the realization of something that neither Katelyn, Laura, Angie nor Ethan ever mentioned. In fact, they had probably never even thought of it. They thought it was perfectly normal that in one dimension TV shows and movies were real life. They thought it perfectly normal that in there world these other worlds were entertainment, that all the people were casted perfectly, that the events were created perfectly down to the very dialogue! They never even considered that fact that their worlds were connected in some strange way, that it was all for a bigger purpose!

Ariel had a sudden dawn of realization as she got dressed into the clothes replicated for her. Everything was suddenly more complicated than just a simple game. That's what they all acted like it was. A game! A simple game where they were the players. They weren't the players. They were the pieces of the game. Oh how she wished she had been with the first three original travelers on that day they went to Middle Earth. They really could've used some brains.

She didn't reply to Katelyn's call and instead just went out the door. "Team - uh, friend meeting?" They said nothing and only nodded as they went out into the main hall and joined together in Angie's quarters. Her's were the biggest out of all of theirs and it supported the most people. When they were all seated, Angie spoke.

"Alright time to discuss why we're all here," she began.

"Some of the reasons are probably obvious," Ethan interjected. He was in a slightly bad mood and it was obvious that he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin had lost some of its color. He was a night owl and he had had insomnia ever since he was a kid but that never affected him in the way he was at that moment.

"Yes, we know that. But I think we should get to the main point," Laura shot back, turning her head to face her brother. After Ethan was silent she turned her head ot the woman next to her. "Angie?" Angie nodded and continued.

"All of us have been recently united," she began, stating the obvious. "There are things that have changed. But that isn't why we made this 'friend meeting.' Laura and Katelyn and I have already talked over a few of the details this morning but not many. It's about dreams." Ariel bit her lip and it was obvious she wanted to talked but Angie turned to Laura first. "Laura, begin?" Laura nodded and cleared her throat. The dream wasn't as new so it was easier to speak of...and easier to leave out certain details.

"While I was napping yesterday I had a vision-like dream. I was in our old house back on earth, the same day that it was burning down and the same time. I was sixteen instead of twenty. Mom was calling out for help and she was together with the rest of the family. The flames were all around and I felt trapped. They went up higher and higher until I could no longer see anything but the fire and the smoke. I couldn't get to them." Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke. "The scenery changed and I was in the middle of battle, light glowing from my palms. I was surrounded by orcs and cyborgs -

"The Borg?" Ethan cut in. Laura nodded.

"They all had the same face..." She paused as if to think. "It was Chase's face." Angie put a hand over her mouth to conceal a gasp. "He - they, turned to me and started talking. I...I don't remember what they said." The last part was a lie and she knew it.

"I didn't know you saw Chase..." Angie said. She was still heartbroken after four years of him being gone. She never fell in love afterwards. Other than that, she kept her grief well hidden even though she kept expecting him to show up. She knew it was impossible. He was gone for good.

"They may be important," Katelyn stated, "and we'll keep it in mind but for now we need to continue on the actually dreams." She began to explain her dream to them. Ariel was listening but she was itching to tell her own dream, as was Ethan. It was evident to the other three that they must've had dreams of their own.

"In my dream we were all taken by the Borg," Ethan said. "They started doing experiments on me. I was in a room with all of you. The walls were metal, there was only one door. It was latched tight. I was on a table with a Borg standing over me. I was terrified." He paused and made a face that showed he was trying to remember other details. "The Borg was about to drill into my head," Laura cringed at that part, "when the doors opened and another Borg said that their master needed him. I turned my head, and I saw Chase. But he was...borgified. Assimilated."

There were no more comments about Chase as Ariel told her dream and her realization. They all knew that they needed to talk to Guinan, if anyone. They decided that they needed to keep the fact that in their world, this universe was just a TV show, a secret. Telling the truth could have a greater impact on things than they even realized.


	4. Knowing the Sadness

**Since chapter one I've been trying to decide which season this takes place in and I have decided that it takes place in season three and will move on from there. This chapter takes place during the episode 'The Offspring.'**

* * *

 **Ariel's Pov.**

Later that day we headed to Ten Forward to talk to Guinan. I could tell right away that she knew we were coming. Once we had gotten a table, we began explaining how we weren't just from a different time, but a different dimension as well. Surprisingly, she understood and believed what we spoke of. After that, she told us about a place, another dimension, that she was taken into a long time ago. She said it was called the Nexus. She said it all seemed real, but wasn't. It made me wonder whether this world was real or just, imagination. That was actually a scary thought.

Guinan suggested that we speak to Captain Picard of where we truly were from. A world with no aliens, and a time long before theirs. We didn't know what the outcome would be of telling him, whether we would be deemed dangerous or not, but Laura still requested to speak with him. It turned out that he was busy at the moment we commed him, and Laura said that he was in a meeting with Data.

"What makes you say that?" I asked. She put her hand on her chin.

"Judging by the stardate, and the year, I know which episode we'd be on if we were just watching the show," she explained. "Right now we're technically in season three, on the episode... 'The Offspring.'" Her voice quieted slightly as she said the last part and her face fell. Katelyn's face softened and her eyes saddened. I tilted my head in slight confusion. _What's wrong about this time?_ I asked myself. Katelyn answered without even knowing my question.

"The episode 'The Offspring' is with Data's daughter," Katelyn said quietly. I didn't understand what was wrong with that, other than it might make Laura feel uncomfortable. Wait...he wasn't ever married from what I knew. And he was an android...They can't reproduce...Can they? I stared at the two in confusion until Katelyn continued. "Lal, Data's daughter, is another android that he created. She had only lived a few weeks when she malfunctioned...Data did everything he could but...she died. But I guess now, it's she will die. And now it's so much more real...it's so much more sad," she said sadly.

"I'd like to feel sad, kind of, and not really, but I don't even know the girl," Ethan said with a slight shrug. Laura glanced over at her younger brother.

"I know. None of us do but...In a way I feel like I know both her and Data. Later at Ten Forward, before we talk to the Captain, we might be able to talk to her. Get to know her a bit," Laura suggested. We nodded in reply.

"We should meet her," I said in a slightly quiet voice. I had never seen her before, and I didn't know what she was like or how she looked. And even yet, I still felt a pang of sadness in my heart.

 ** _/Star Trek/_**

"There's Lal," Laura said. She gently raised her hand and pointed at the counter in Ten Forward. A young women who looked to be around Katelyn's age was talking to Guinan. She had short black hair and she was wearing blue and burgundy. Although she seemed Katelyn's age, she had a child-like look to her face. We began to walk over to the counter when Riker walked in. We stopped as he started to talk to her. Laura watched as if waiting for something and then suddenly Lal grabbed Riker over the counter and kissed him. Guinan told her to put him down just as Data walked in. I stared in shock and Laura laughed through the fingers that covered her mouth. Data looked in confusion at the Commander and his daughter.

"Commander, what are your intentions towards my daughter?" he asked. Commander Riker's eyes widened.

"Your daughter!?" He turned and awkwardly glanced at Lal. "Nice to meet you," he said and then he quickly walked out. I raised my eyebrows slightly as we walked over. Data had walked up to the counter and had begun quietly speaking to his daughter. He stopped when we arrived.

We all had amused smiles on our faces and seeing us, Guinan smiled. "I suppose you all find that funny," she said. Our faces immediately turned serious and I shook my head.

"Um, no we didn't," Ethan replied. Guinan went back to what she was doing.

"Well you should. Because it was funny," she said. We raised our eyebrows and looked at each other. Data also raised his eyebrows and turned to look at us and Guinan.

"I am confused. How is my daughter kissing Commander Riker humorous?" he asked with a slight head tilt. Laura decided to reply.

"It's funny because the timing was pretty much perfect. Well, in a sense. It was perfect in the funny sense," she said. "Guinan was explaining to her how people like to touch, and Lal was confused. Riker, I mean, _Commander_ Riker, wasn't expecting it, and you walked in on it. That's why it's funny," she explained in the best way possible. I agreed with that. But now it wasn't as funny because she explained it.

"Ah," Data replied with a slight nod. I wasn't sure whether he really understood or not but he took it anyway. Laura started talking to him for a while, while we talked to Guinan. Eventually, Data took Lal to their quarters. Soon after that, Captain Picard commed Laura and told her that he was ready to see us. We said goodbye to Guinan and headed to the Bridge.

"I've decided something," Laura said quietly as we boarded the turbo lift. "I really don't truthfully know Data...I think I need to just... Know him," she said. Angie looked at her and smiled slightly. She put a hand on her shoulder.

"That's good, Laura. Besides, he was just a character once. Now he's real. It's different," she said. Laura gave a slight nod and was silent from then. I wondered if I would meet anyone here. I mean, I didn't need anyone, relationships weren't really my thing. But I just wondered. Angie met somebody, but he...died. Katelyn did but they broke up. Ethan had a short relationship when he was younger, and Laura had a relationship as well. I'm already eighteen and I haven't had a relationship at all. I wonder if I ever will?

We stepped onto the Bridge and pressed the chime for the Captain's Ready Room. He called us to come and we all entered. He sat facing us and asked us what we wanted to speak about.

"It has to do with our being on the Enterprise. How we got here, where we're from," I said. He nodded.

"Is it something that we should bring to the rest of my senior officers?" he asked. I looked over at the three older girls and they nodded their heads in response.

"Yes, I believe so," Laura told him. He nodded and he waited as he called Counselor Troi, Worf, Dr. Crusher, Commander Riker and Data to join him in the observation lounge. He took us there and we all sat down next to each other. I wasn't sure whether I would have to speak, I wasn't that good at talking in public. I began to prepare myself for the task of speaking as I watched the officers walk into the room. I felt nervousness well up inside of me and I sank in my chair slightly, feeling like it made me less obvious.

We began to tell them what was really going on. I did have to speak, and I told my dream that I had about Guinan. In fact, we all told them of our dreams. For some reason as soon as I began to speak I felt confident about the words I used and was able to speak clearly. Once all our dreams had been told, and once we explained how their world was a TV show in our world, they started to discuss further what they were to do about us. They spoke of figuring out how to send us back to our world, they spoke of how they might give us into the hands of Star Fleet (technically we already were, but they meant take us off the Enterprise). Finally they decided that we would stay there and they would take everything to Star Fleet command. They would spend time figuring out how to send us back while we stayed on the ship. It was the only thing that could be done at that moment. I was glad that they didn't find us threats. Glad and slightly offended. I could certainly be a threat if I wanted too.

 ** _/Star Trek /_**

Later that day we spent more time with Lal. She didn't understand a lot of things but she was really sweet in a child like way. I liked her and I could tell that Laura liked her. I didn't want to remind her that Lal would soon die, I could tell by the way she smiled that she was already reminding herself of that. I continuously reminded myself of it, I didn't want to become too attached to her. It just wasn't working. She was so easy to like. It was strange that the other children laughed at her and made fun of her. I told the younger ones to stop and they backed off, but the older ones only ridiculed me for hanging out with such a strange person. I told them that just because she was different didn't mean that she should be blamed for it.

We spent the next few days speaking with Lal and having her know as many things about humans as possible. I figured that Data was doing his best to teach her about humans but being around us probably helped her even more. We actually all knew when the day that Lal would malfunction was, and we did our best to stay happy around her and everyone else. There was no need to stir up things.

"I will have to take Lal with me," Data said as he came up to us. We were all gathered in Ten Forward, and we were trying to help Lal understand why certain people liked certain foods and why others didn't. "I must speak with Captain Picard and the Admiral," he said. I had seen the Admiral. Just a glance. He didn't look entirely friendly.

"It's fine," Laura said with a forced smile. I understood that it must be near her...death. As Data walked out with his daughter, he turned his head towards us.

"Thank you for keeping my daughter company," he said. A smile spread across my face. "She's wonderful," I said. Data gave a slight nod and a slight smile and then continued to walk out. As soon as he was gone, our faces fell. Laura stared intensely at the cup that her hands were wrapped around. Her eyes showed sadness.

"I wish I could tell him," she whispered sullenly. I nodded. We all did. But it wouldn't be right. He needed to find out for himself. I wondered if he would feel anything. Laura said he was emotionless but she said that she herself didn't truly believe it. She that also that many people who knew him well didn't believe it either. The way he cared for Lal just showed that he had the capability to in a way, feel.

We stayed in Ten Forward for a long while after Data and Lal left. We talked like normal again, but Laura seemed anxious. Finally, she rose from her seat and looked at all of us apologetically. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll see you all-" Suddenly the comm badge she had chirped. It was Counselor Troi saying that she had to cancel their _counseling session_ for that day. We all raised our eyebrows at Laura.

"Wait, you've been in Counseling?" Ethan asked as we all rose. Laura shook her head.

"No! That's another conversation for another time." She tapped the comm badge. "Deanna, is it...is it Lal?" she asked with a slightly nervous tone. "Yes, it's Lal. I'm sorry about the inconvenience." "No, it's alright. Is she heading to Data's lab?" For a moment there was silence and then, "Yes, she is." "Alright." "Troi out." Laura looked at us with a sad veil over her face.

"We need to go there. We all know her now, we need to be there," she said. We all nodded in agreement and went out of Ten Forward. We asked the computer to guide us to the lab and we headed there quickly. We made it there just as Data did. We stopped him quickly. "May we come in with you? We...we were friends of Lal, even if for a short time. I know we can't do anything, but we want to see her," I said. Data nodded, knowing that we knew what was going on, let us in. We slowly walked inside and looked around. We saw Lal and walked up next to the platform, and we stood where Counselor Troi was. A teen boy looked over at us.

"Were you guys friends of Lal?" he asked. We nodded our heads.

"Yes, we were. We wanted to see her," Laura answered.

"Would you please step outside?" Data asked, looking over at all of us. We nodded and slowly walked out of the lab, where we leaned against the outside wall. I felt anxious, anxious to see if maybe things would go differently than Laura had said they would. Somehow I doubted that very much. After what felt like hours, the Admiral came out. He looked distraught and I knew what that meant.

"She...she won't survive much longer," he said quietly. "There's nothing anyone could've done. We repolarized one pathway and another would collapse, and then another." He lifted up his hand. "His hands were moving faster than I could see, trying to stay ahead of each breakdown. He refused to give up. He was remarkable. It just...wasn't meant to be..." We all looked at each other with grief in our eyes. Ethan was the only one who stayed looking emotionless. A few tears stung my eyes. It wasn't fair at all. Data only had his daughter for a short time, why was she already taken from him?


	5. Author's Note

Okay, so i am taking an extended break from writing on so i wontbe updating this and all my other stories for a long time. I've come across some problems concerning fanfiction and things so I'm hoping taking a break will help me. See you all later!


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